Support

If you're experiencing issues with your Doorman, help is available through several channels:

• The below troubleshooting guide covers many common issues
• The Discord server is a great place to get assistance from me and the community
• The GitHub issues may contain solutions to problems you're encountering

Please note that support is provided on a best-effort basis. While I will assist as much as possible, please understand that I may not be able to help immediately or with every situation, as this is not my full-time job. Thank you for your understanding.

Common Issues

Web Serial (Flashing via ESP Web Tools) Connect-Disconnect loop

If you've received a Doorman S3 PCB that hasn't been pre-flashed with the Doorman Firmware, the ESP will not have any firmware installed. As a result, it will enter a continuous restart loop by default, making it impossible to flash using ESP Web Tools or any other tool.

Solution

To resolve this, hold down the button labeled FLASH while connecting the USB cable to your computer. This will put the ESP into bootloader mode, preventing it from constantly restarting.

"Failed to initialize" when installing firmware

You receive the error message:

Failed to initialize. Try resetting your device or holding the BOOT button while clicking INSTALL.

Solution

Hold down the FLASH button
While connecting the USB cable to your computer, hold down the button labeled FLASH on the Doorman PCB. This will put the ESP into bootloader mode and allows falshing.

Try a different USB port
Unplug your device and connect it to another USB port on your computer. Then, try installing the firmware again using the flash page.

Use a different USB cable
If the issue persists, try using another USB cable, ensuring it's capable of both power and data transfer.

Installing firmware stuck at "Preparing Installation"

If your device gets stuck on "Preparing installation", follow these steps:

Solution

Try a different USB port
Unplug your device and connect it to another USB port on your computer. Then, restart the installation.

Press the FLASH button
If the issue persists, while the "Preparing installation" screen is displayed, press the FLASH button once on the device. Your device should now proceed with the installation. If it still doesn't proceed you can hold down the boot button for 3-5 seconds whilst on the “Preparing Installation” phase.

A loud beeping noise occurs on the speaker

Please take a look here.

Home Assistant can't connect / BAD_INDICATOR errno=11

If Home Assistant can't connect to your Doorman, or you are receiving the error Reading failed: BAD_INDICATOR errno=11 in the logs, this indicates Home Assistant may be trying to connect with an incorrect encryption key.

First, try restarting Home Assistant entirely to see if the issue persists. If it does, here are some things to try based on how you manage your Doorman's firmware updates.

OTA Updates / Firmware Binary

The pre-compiled firmware binaries that are used for OTA updates do not have an API encryption key built-in, therefore Home Assistant must be attempting to connect with an encryption key or deprecated API password. To remedy this, please try removing the integration entry for your Doorman by going to Settings > Devices & Services, then remove the ESPHome integration for your Doorman there. Then re-add your Doorman to Home Assistant by creating a new ESPHome integration using the device's IP or hostname. Do not specify an encryption key or password if prompted.

ESPHome Dashboard

If you manage updates with an ESPHome YAML, you must make sure that the encryption key you specify in the api: section of your configuration matches the encryption key that Home Assistant uses. Try re-adding the integration to Home Assistant, and make sure to specify the encryption key when prompted. You may also try removing the encryption key from your configuration to see if this remedies the issue. If it does, this may indicate an issue with Home Assistant or ESPHome itself.

Receiving telegrams does not work

If your Doorman is unable to receive telegrams there could be several reasons.

Check the wiring

Please make sure you wired everything correctly.
You can find the guide here.

Check the Bus voltage

There are cases where the bus voltage is inusfficient and causing the reading to fail.
This can happen when other devices are drawing too much current.

You can check the a+b Bus voltage when receiving telegrams using an oscillosope. If the bus voltage constantly goes up and down there's an issue with the power draw of other bus participants.

External Power supply issue

Try using an isolated power supply when powering Doorman via external power supply.

Other Issues

If you are experiencing other issues, here are some things to try:

• Reflash the firmware here.

If everything else fails, please join the Discord server for support. If necessary, we will work to triage an issue on the GitHub repository.